Corona Pro Plugins

Solar2D Native builds
#101

I will give my 2 cents here…

For me (and I think that some developers also feel that way), it is not the fact of a new feature that is being built that I don’t need that bothers me, but it is that sometimes I never saw that feature being highly requested by users at all (using the Corona Feedback system as my guidance)… 

So, in summary, I think it is more something related to lack of transparency / alignment of expectations…

I understand that Corona needs sometimes to develop specific features under a stealth mode, but I really think that the number of complains would dramatically decreases with Corona provide the developers with the pipeline of features being/to be developed in the next 1/3/6/12 months or something like that… 

About the marketplace, it don’t know if it is technically difficult to implement, although I understand that commercially speaking it can be tricky… But even if it is technically difficult, it is something that would benefit not only the Developers but specially Corona since a lot of new features that are requested to Corona would be developed by others, releasing Corona manpower to develop new core functionalities/products.

#102

David great post. The summary above is a good discussion starter. The answers to above, as you so well articulated is very variable from developer to developer. The question is who to ask and who to listen to… 

For example, I recall reading in a press blurb that more than 250K developers use Corona SDK. Perhaps even more now… Also in the most recent blurb about Corona Cards it is said that there are more than 30K apps made with Corona SDK. Well, its pretty obvious isn’t it. Downloading and registering for a starter account vs actually delivering apps and maybe even making a living using Corona SDK are two totally different things.

I think, Corona Labs leadership perhaps favors choices that might expand that large number of devs on the list and overlooks the output side a little bit… You really need to pay more attention to your paying customers, the Basic, Pro and Enterprise license holders and people who actually have apps on the markets.

I strongly suggest you run a survey to find out what drives your customer base. What are the priorities according to your customers. And then weight the answers according to who provided them. Then you will get the voice of the customer. Whether you align with it or not of course will be a strong contributor to your long term market success. 

Thanks for listening. And, below is my take on the priorities : 

  • plugin marketplace asap - YES
  • want fixes/new features to the core of the platform - Fixes YES. Features NO until stability achieved.
  • you also want as many plugins as possible - 3rd Party strategy is a good one. Keep at it. 
  • you also want as many platforms as possible (e.g., Windows) - Who said that? Won’t touch win with a 3 foot stick… 
  • you also *don’t* want to use Corona Enterprise to do your own plugins/extensions - Not want to do but can’t do. Also the documentation situation is bleak.
#103

Totally agree here, I think the issue is more concerned about features that will increase funding opportunities and user base.

#104

- some of you want a plugin marketplace asap

Yes!  Please!  A  plugin marketplace  is what we want!

- you also want fixes/new features to the core of the platform

Yes!  With a  plugin marketplace  CoronaLabs limited dev. resources will finally be freed up to focus on the core!

- you also want as many plugins as possible

Yes!  A  plugin marketplace  will enable this!

- you also want as many platforms as possible (e.g., Windows)

Yes!  With a  plugin marketplace  CoronaLabs limited dev. resources will finally be freed up to focus onthe core!  new platforms!

- you also *don’t* want to use Corona Enterprise to do your own plugins/extensions

Yes!  I won’t, and can’t, but other can, and will have incentive to do so with a  plugin marketplace!

It seems so obvious that a  plugin marketplace  would be something for the Lab to have been working on in earnest, so it’s frustrating to see you emerge from stealth mode with yet another unrequested feature for a limited, and possible negligible, audience.  (At least it won’t break my existing code this time.)  I share others frustration with the lack of transparency into what the Labs’ priorities are, and the strange choices in terms of what actually did take priority over the past year.

(I have no ill will against Corona Labs.  I have a lot invested in you guys succeeding!)

#105

A survey would be an excellent place to start, great idea

#106

Rumors have it that it was already finished a while ago.

#107

We hear you.

cspense - you seem to hear different rumors than I have heard :wink:

#108

Isn’t that what the feedback voting forum was for, but doesn’t seem to be given any priority.

#109

I spell my name differently too.  It’s Cspence.

#110

My point of view as a professional developer making money with Corona SDK.

  • I do not understand CoronaCards, except if it replaces Corona Enterprise (but, in this case, I’ll want my money back or to switch my licence to Cards). Enterprise was good enough, except that THE DOCUMENTATION IS AWFUL :). What is the difference with Enterprise except as a marketing point of view? Enterprise should evolve and become CoronaCards no? How will you maintain so many licenses?! I paid a lot for Enterprise, with few support and, I said, the no-documentation, and I’m confused by this new product.

  • I like the idea of the marketplace, but I know how hard it is to create, launch and animate. I will become a big part of the CoronaLabs responsibility if launched. But it should be amazing, look how Unity3D is became with its market!

  • Windows 8 -> As a professional, I’m trying to “sell” Corona to big French companies, and Windows 8 is mandatory: they want Windows even with it’s small market share. They want as well some better figures to trust CoronaLabs: how many people are they? are they enough healthy to maintain Corona SDK for 5 years? Why Enterprise is shipped with this so AWFUL DOCUMENTATION :-), etc. I got this questions every time! Just sign a contract with a big and international french company to prove them how Corona Enterprise is great for them… pray for me!

  • Corona Editor : it’s working, but yes there is an “abandoned” perception here. We feel CoronaLabs is launching new things, do not maintain, and start new things…

If you look at the daily build logs, there is “maintenance”, “maintenance”,“maintenance”,“maintenance”… There was a time where Corona was fixing bugs for 2 weeks, then implementing features for 2 weeks, etc. It was a great time.

#111

@coronaentprise, there are some similarities, but Enterprise and CoronaCards are different.  CoronaCards lets you have a Corona view mixed in with your native app.  Communications between the two is done through events.  Enterprise on the other hand lets you create new API calls that your Corona SDK code can call like:

local myCoolLib = require(“plugins.myCoolLib”)

myCoolLib.doSomethingAwesome().

and is for extending Corona SDK.  I’m certain a lot of things can be done in either.

Rob

#112

A plugin market would be huge. From my own experience, I can attest that certain projects have stalled on account of Corona not being able to do what the native API can, which could be addressed with plugins. Unfortunately, a plugin market isn’t available to entice developers to fill in the gaps, and an Enterprise license is prohibitively expensive for hobbyist developers to create plugins for the community. In fact, simple things like pasteboard features aren’t even available to Pro customers. I don’t understand this thinking.

I think CoronaCards is a great idea, but I’m also a bit confused as to why this was a company priority. Myself and others would be more than happy to keep using Corona to build apps, but there are a lot of things we simply can’t do without the more expensive licenses. Will CoronaCards offer a cheaper alternative than Enterprise to make use of native functions?

#113

-1 for a Corona Marketplace.

I already spend too much money in the Unity marketplace and Unity is a freakin’ *hobby* for me! My PayPal account would stay in the red if there was also a Corona Asset Store. :frowning:

 Jay

(Only slightly kidding.)

#114

Actually, while an official CoronaLabs-based marketplace would be good, that doesn’t mean a 3rd-party can’t do something similar.

I get traffic to MasteringCoronaSDK.com and am open to the idea of putting in a “plugin store” – if any plugin developers here would like to experiment with that, contact me at outlawgametools@gmail.com and we can discuss it.

 Jay

#115

There is no way to distribute plugins right now.  So regardless of a marketplace, Corona needs to add the ability for Enterprise users to share plugins with pro users.

#116

So, you can tell how much I use plugins.

I was under the impression that with the plugin file in the project you could just include it. If that’s NOT how it works, CL could fix that, I presume. 

 Jay

#117

Yes, the problem is not a lack of a marketplace website, but Corona allowing Pro users to use 3rd party plugins…

Today all 3rd party plugins available for Pro Users are hosted on Corona servers. So, Corona would have to do one of the following:

  1. Open their servers to users upload their own plugins

  2. Allow Pro users to indicate a link where to download the plugin (that would be downloaded automatically)

  3. Allow Pro users to import locally a 3rd party plugin

The problem with the (2) and (3) is that Corona loses the control over the plugins, that today are one of their revenues streams (the ads networks plugins have a revenue sharing with Corona for example).

So, if they want to continue have control over plugins, they would have to host 3rd party plugins on their server what would create the need to review/approve the plugins. So, it is kind they becoming “App Store” where you would have to submit your plugin and they would review and approve…

Of course, they could do the (2) or (3) and specify on the Usage Terms that the plugin should not generate any kind of revenue, but so you would end up dealing with legal issues and that kind of stuff.

So, at least for me, is that how I see the marketplace situation right now…

#118

From what I heard it’s already possible, just not enabled so unless you work for Corona it’s not doable.

I don’t think they will enable it without a marketplace where they get a %.

I believe Enterprise users can share plugins, but Pro users can only use Corona hosted ones.

#119

So we’re in kind of a lose-lose situation then, as long as (if) Corona Labs feels the need for profiting from 3rd-party plugins. Because they don’t have the time to create the store.

Here’s my suggestion to Corona Labs: Make it so users can locally import plugins and allow 3rd-parties to create a plugin store. Users win because they get added functionality and YOU win because that has the potential to greatly increase the number of people using the SDK.

Plus, when you do find time, you can create an official plug-in store and take 30% of the plugins you sell. 

After all, what do you care if someone makes money from Corona SDK as long as people are buying your framework? If you open up plugins like that you’re NOT losing money. And you’re giving the Corona community a chance to explode.

 Jay
 

#120

I do not quite understand why only Enterprise users are able to create 3rd-Party Plugins…

Wouldn´t it be better for all if everyone were able to create and include plugins into their projects?

One of the biggest advantages of Unity over Corona is the Asset Store! You do not even need to setup a store on your own. Just give us the ability to create those plugins. Then you can concentrate on the core framework while we are expanding it!

It should be as simply as that.

Max